Gardens bring in 'green' for museum

When it comes to the seasons, timing is everything. Even in California, as Joyce Venturini would attest.

Venturini, a board member for the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum, is one of the central figures in coordinating the fifth annual Vallejo Garden Tours.

"In the past, we had been choosing the gardens in February, when every garden looks awful," Venturini said. "This year, we started looking last July."

Much better, she said, and the hopeful 500 visitors of "The Glory of the Garden" who scrutinize the nine selected yards this year will benefit as much as the museum, which counts on the May 18 event even more with the city's budget cuts.

"We have to get $40,000 this year and I don't know exactly how we can do that," Venturini said. "We'll have to have more events."

Though someone suggested the popular Garden Tour grows into an entire weekend, that might put Venturini over the edge.

"If this went to two days, I'd throw myself off a cliff," she said. "If we did it more than once, it would take two committees."

However, that's down the road. As the driving force behind the Garden Tours, Venturini is more concerned with what she's faced with next Sunday.

At least it's been easier to select the city's more amazing gardens, including the new involvement in Hiddenbrooke.

"Last year, we had to knock on doors" begging people to offer their yards, Venturini said.

"This time, people have just offered," she said. "It's become more popular. People are realizing it's sort of kudos to be on the garden tour."

Though there has been a year with as many as 12 entries, it proved difficult for everyone to cover, Venturini said, settling on nine "wonderful" gardens this year.

All gardens have a water feature, Venturini said, grateful for Hiddenbrooke's five entries "because a lot of people have never been there."

All residents have a few rules to live by, Venturini said, including no political or "FOR SALE" signs.

"We say it can be there, but it has to be covered up," she said. "We had to criticize a couple a few years ago because they had one sign as big as a car advertising a landscaper. That's not what this is about. We want people to enjoy the gardens."

Only once has a potential garden been rejected, Venturini said, diplomatically explaining the requirements to a resident "who had no concept of what a 'great garden' looks like."

Though Venturini said she enjoys helping the museum's funding, coordinating the tour can be exhausting.

"I'm so overwhelmed," she said early this week. "It's almost finished."

The tour includes a lunch at the museum, with Venturini doing much of the cooking along with other board members. The bad news, good news was that a surprising record turnout of 400 showed up last year.

"We're hoping to get it to 500," Venturini said.

Next year, two mansions on Mare Island have already been selected, she said.